UNSC Halberd
The UNSC Halberd (FFG-103) is a Charon-class light frigate in service of the UNSC Navy. It was constructed over Mars, in the Reyes-Mcless shipyards in 2551. It saw three skirmishes in the Human-Covenant War, then fought in the Battle of Reach under Captain John Rogers. After Reach fell, Rogers initiated the Cole Protocol and slipped through several different systems before returning to Earth, free of Covenant followers. On October 20th, 2552, having received a full overhaul, the Halberd participated in the First Battle of Earth, over Russia. When the Covenant first broke through the orbital defense blockade, a CCS-class cruiser attempted to land in Russia. The Halberd single-handedly stalled and destroyed the cruiser after chasing it to a point over India and causing most of its debris to land in the Indian Ocean. With most of the Covenant fleet decimated, the Halberd, along with three other Frigates, was called in to assist in the destruction of the CAS-class flagship, docked over New Mombasa. However, before it could arrive, the ship entered slipspace and partuially destroyed the city. Within hours, a Brute-controlled fleet arrived and occupied Africa. While the Halberd ''destroyed forces in orbit, the forces on the ground fought for Earth. At last, the Prophet of Truth and his Dreadnaught arrived, severely damaging the ''Halberd ''and forcing it to make a loop around the moon, where it stayed and helped stage further aerial assaults. As the Second Battle of Earth ended, the ''Halberd was brought to Mars for a refit. As technology improved over the next two years, the Halberd became a prime candidate to patrol the colonies still under UNSC control. In March of 2555, the Halberd was ordered to patrol the outer colonies. On April 4th, it set a course for the ruins of Harvest, the homeworld of Captain Rogers. Upon arrival, Rogers journeyed back to the regenerating surface and, overcome with emotion, volunteered himself to Admiral Terrence Hood to lead the recolonization effort on Harvest, which he was granted. However, a Covenant Remnant Corvette under the Command of Imperial Commander Rejan 'Varusam landed on Harvest. It remained hidden until a Marine scouting patrol encountered its crew, looking for a Forerunner relic. The Marine team placed a call for help before being completely eradicated. 'Varusam, pressured by Remnant leader Jul 'Mdama, accelerated his efforts to uncover the relic, attaching the main gun of a Scarab to a Spirit dropship and beginning the excavation. Spartan-II Gray Team was called in by Lord Hood to assist the crew of the Halberd. 'Varusam managed to uncover the relic, calling it the "Key to Requiem", which would grant 'Mdama access to the Forerunner shield world. Gray Team intercepted the Elite and killed one of his Lekgolo guards before Spartan Jai was captured and taken aboard the Corvette as it departed for Requiem. Spartans Adrianna and Mike managed to use the grav-lift to sneak aboard and freed Jai as the ship accelerated out-system. The Corvette happened to pass by the Halberd on its way and the crew gave chase, putting a MAC slug directly through the ship's engines and forcing it to crash on a previously undiscovered, habitable moon in the system. Rejan was cornered by the Spartans, but committed suicide with a plasma grenade, destroying the relic. The Halberd then deployed dropships to pick up the Spartans. On the bridge, the Spartans were invited to train Spartan-IV's on the Infinity by Admiral Serin Osman. Captain Rogers was appointed to oversee the recolonization of Harvest. The Halberd went on to serve until it was decommissioned and scrapped in 2563.